by Sandra | September 16th, 2009
OUCH!
I hate doing the binding. I really, Really hate it. My fingers are in so much pain just typing this post this morning. They are hamburger to put it mildly.
One of the down sides to machine quilting for me is when I get to the binding stage and have to push that needle through the dense sandwich of stitching. Sort of the same thing as pushing a needle through a brick and it will be my soft finger that gives first. This is my most loathed step of quilt making even without the added issue of finger tip torture.
I can hear some of you asking, “don’t you use a thimble?”. I just can’t because I need to feel that needle to make my stitches properly. However, you know what? I was in so much pain yesterday and leaving bits of my DNA in the form of blood every now and then that I decided to throw in the towel and get my thimble for ANY kind of relief. The heavily bandaged fingers were worse than a thimble could ever be and I was making one stitch at an agonizing slow pace.
I was always protective of my favorite thimble for hand quilting. It was fabulous and fit like a glove. So when I was cleaning up the sewing room one day, I brilliantly decided to create a new safe place for it. Do you think I could find it yesterday??????? Nope. At least it is safe for the next generation to find. <rolling eyes>
I am halfway finished with sewing on the binding, so today I will have to creatively bandage my fingers and try to finish attaching the binding. Then the sleeve. Did I tell you how much I hate sewing on sleeves too?
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I used to hate sewing down my bindings too, but now I’ve given up my beautifully hand-tacked bindings (that took me AGES to finish because I hated it so much!) and now I machine sew them down.
My new hated task is the sleeve. OOOOO how I hate tacking down the sleeve!! *g*
I’m sorry you’re in such pain. But, then again, what is a quilt if there isn’t a little bit of pain sewn into it somewhere?? LOL
I wish I could do the binding for you !! I love doing it !!!!! besides then I could peek ! LOL !
I had a dream last night your book came out and I was flabbergasted that it was done so fast , little bewildered as to why you didn’t tell us . I thought maybe it was a surprise , LOL !
Then …. I woke up : (
Hope you heal quickly ! and find your thimble .
Though I rarely seem to get to the binding stage, that is one of my favorites things to do; easy, mindless, and when it’s finished, so is the quilt! What method do you use for binding that results in so much carnage (to you digits)? What am I doing wrong that my fingers remain unscathed? I hope you mend soon. And, I hope to see more quilt photos soon
Your thimble is probably just to the left of mine! If you find the wrong one you are welcome to use it.
I only get one sore finger, and it is the one next to the one with the thimble on it. I tried changing the thimble but then I changed fingers! However, my wrists remind me I have just finished a quilt for about three days.
Judy B
I sew the first row of binding on the front by machine. Then I hand stitich the next stage by hand. After reading Diane’s attitude to stitching binding (the one and only Diane G.), I found I enjoyed it more. Are you sewing that first stage by hand ??? If so, why???
I know from experience that those “safe places” can be TOO safe…
What kind of thimble was it?
I do machine sew the first part (I am not a masochist! LOL). It is during the turning to the back and stitching down by hand that the pain comes into it. Because the quilt stitching is so dense, and doesn’t give at times where I push the needle through, I have to use the tip of my finger on the end of the needle to force it to continue pushing through to complete the stitch. After so many “pushes” my finger tip is full of holes (hamburger) from the needle’s end. So…..I use a different finger tip and so on until my fingers are raw. If the machine quilting is “looser” this is not a problem.
I also noticed the Roxanne sharps I use have a sharply pointed needle eye end too, which is why this is a problem with using the pad of my finger tip as a thimble.
I find the Preparation H (giggle) is really good to put on the “wounds” under a bandage overnight. The store must think we have some serious hemmorhoid(sp?) issues so I make my husband buy it!–LOL
I love hearing everyone’s experiences and opinions on the binding phase.
For those of you who enjoy it, I wish I could send it off to you to be done! Go figure a “hand appliquer” (me) hates the hand sewing part of binding. It is the same stitch after all.
Judy, I will probably never find yours either! LOL
Frances,
I have no idea what kind of thimble it was. I even had one of those “Thimble Lady” ones that never really worked for me with hand quilting, but I thought it might work well for the hand sewing of the binding. I Couldn’t find its safe place either.
My daughter always introduces me as “My Mom, who can’t remember anything”
Boop,
I have dreams about my book being finished and out too, but for different reasons. LOL